This is the facade of CCA’s former building on Rainier Avenue South. Today, it is vacant. On April 12, CCA declared bankruptcy. (Photo by George Liu/NWAW)

On March 31, an agency that provided education, employment, training, and career development services had to close its doors after 30 years of helping more than 30,000 people in King and Snohomish Counties — for free. Read the full story

Influential series has drawn out laughs, probing questions, and discussions about ethnic identity

Kathy Hsieh’s writing career began in the ninth grade when her language arts teacher asked students to write a script for a class assignment. Hsieh wrote a comedic retelling of a wedding she attended with her parents. She received an A for the paper and discovered her love for writing comedies. Read the full story

Hines Ward, member of the President’s Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and receiver for NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers, stresses the importance of physical exercise at a health and fitness fair on April 2 at the University of California, Los Angeles’ intramural field.

Hundreds of youth joined Hines Ward, member of the President’s Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and receiver for NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers, along with fellow NFL players Troy Polamalu, safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Marcus McNeill, offensive tackle for the San Diego Chargers, to stress the importance of physical exercise and nutritious meals at a health and fitness fair on April 2 at the University of California, Los Angeles’ intramural field. Read the full story

Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn has a new tool to gather input on public safety from Seattle residents. An online survey, drafted by a team of graduate students at the Evans School of Public Affairs at the University of Washington, will help determine residents’ primary public safety concerns in their own neighborhoods and on public transportation. Previous public safety surveys conducted by the City of Seattle focused on citywide perceptions. Read the full story

SENDAI, Japan (AP) — A strong earthquake rattled Japan’s northeast on Monday just hours after people bowed their heads and wept in ceremonies to mark a month since the tsunami that killed up to 25,000 people and set off a still-unfolding nuclear crisis.

The latest quake, the second major aftershock in less than a week, was another jarring reminder of the magnitude-9.0 earthquake that spawned the massive wave on March 11.

People in a large electronics store in Sendai screamed and ran outside and mothers grabbed their children, but there were no immediate reports of more damage or injuries. Read the full story

SHANGHAI (AP) — Walt Disney Co. and its Shanghai partner broke ground last Friday for a long-awaited theme park that Disney hopes will draw legions of newly affluent Chinese and provide a cornerstone for its brand in the world’s most populous country. Read the full story

MANILA, Philippines (AP) — The Philippines’ most popular TV game show was pulled off the air last Monday amid a public uproar over the host letting a crying 6-year-old boy mimic a striptease dancer. Read the full story

It’s with sadness that we report that the Center for Career Alternatives (CCA) has closed its doors. The CCA provided education, employment, training, and career development services — for free — to anyone who needed its help, from recent immigrants to ex-convicts. Read the full story

Cheryl Chow, former Seattle School Board president and City Council member, showed up at The Wing Luke Asian Museum’s dinner with a relaxed face. According to her doctor, her brain tumor is gone. As of September, she is cancer free after only four rounds of chemotherapy.

Chow is now back working for the Girl Scouts of Western Washington as the assistant outreach director. ♦

Of the nine council members, the mayor has only one ally. Seattle’s City Council member Mike O’Brien was also the only one who was not invited to Bruce Harrell’s Big Re-election Campaign Kickoff Event on March 30 at the First African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. Seattle City Council members Sally Clark, Richard Conlin, Sally Bagshaw, Tom Burgess, Jean Godden, and Tom Rasmussen all came. Nick Nicata was unable to make it. ♦

Bruce Harrell has already raised $170,000. So far, five school board members and Port of Seattle commissioners have endorsed him. You might think that no one dares to challenge him. Read the full story

My friend got a traffic citation for driving 22 mph in a Bellevue school zone, which has a speed limit of 20 mph. He went to court to contest the steep penalty, but in vain, He will pay. Even though the fine was reduced from $189, he still needs to pay $122. He is on probation. If he does not have any new violations within a year, it will be wiped from his record. Read the full story

Grace Chien, CEO of Girl Scouts of Western Washington is retiring this year. A search firm is looking for her replacement. It might not be easy to find a leader like Chien who has expanded the girl scouts base from mostly white to a diverse group of girls, including immigrants and even girls whose parents are incarcerated. The good news is that you don’t have to be a former scout to do Chien’s job. Anyone can apply. ♦